The present invention relates to an apparatus for use on ships for inserting elongated heavy articles into stowage cells, and more particularly to an apparatus for use on a ship having stowage cells provided in a latticework arrangement within its hull and each having an opening on the deck for housing a multiplicity of elongated heavy articles, such as surface-to-air missiles, in a vertical position, the apparatus being adapted to insert the articles into the respective cells one by one.
The so-called vertical launch system has predominantly been in use for launching surface-to-air missiles. With this system, missiles, each held in a canister, are stowed in a vertical position in a hull. More specifically, a stowage including a multiplicity of cells is provided within the hull for stowing the respective missiles in a vertical position. Each of the cells has an opening in the deck which is usually held closed with a watertight pressure-resistant door.
The system is adapted to launch many missiles at a time, and the stowage needs to be replenished with a corresponding number of missiles. After the missile has been launched, the canister remains in the cell, and the canister is removed before the cell is replenished.
With the vertical launch system, the replenishment is accomplished usually in the following manner. Each missile is supplied as placed in a canister to the ship from another ship or the like by being guided along a wire rope extending from one ship to the other as disposed thereabove. The canister has at each end thereof a shock absorber for ensuring safety and is provided at its midportion with a fork pocket for a fork lift.
When the canistered missile is delivered, the shock absorbers and the fork pocket are removed from the canister. The canister is held in suspension by crane at one point using a vertical strongback and placed into a specified cell of the stowage.
The opening of the stowage cell is provided with a cell guide for guiding the lower end of the canistered missile, whereas the canistered missile, supported in suspension, having a length of about 6 m and weighing about 2 tons, is extremely difficult to fit into the cell guide on the ship which is pitching or rolling since it is difficult to hold the missile at rest even with ten workers. Further even when the lower end of the canister is placed in the cell guide, the canistered missile swings owing to the rocking of the ship when it is raised to a vertical position in suspension.
Thus the work for inserting the missile into the stowage cell on board is difficult because of the rock of the ship, requires a prolonged period of time and is very hazardous to the worker. Moreover, it becomes impossible to carry out the stowing work when the wave height increases to about 5 m.